I've heard some conflicting things about this... I know birds are very sensitive to chemicals/pollutants/just about anything irritating in the air. And I know non-stick cookware is really dangerous for them. But how careful do you have to be? I mean, the house I'm planning to move into is a three level, with my bedroom being all the way at the top and the kitchen all the way at the bottom. We have nonstick pots and pans, and I don't think my roommate would be too agreeable about switching just so I can pack more animals into the house... Would I never be able to bring home a bird, even if I kept it in my room, because it'd be too dangerous every time we cook? Or is that kind of a fanatical view of it? I'm not really sure what to believe. I've wanted to try birds, since I love reptiles so much. Seems like the next logical step. I like cockatiels and parrots most. I don't know if the type of bird makes that much of a difference. I don't want to risk killing them every time I cook, though. And what else is dangerous? Would I not be able to light incense in my room, etc? So anyone who has some serious bird experience, I'd love to hear your opinion on the subject.

I do not see any reason that the cookware would do anything. The amount of teflon that could maybe come off of the pots and pans would be so small. Also I think it any teflon came off it would be more likely to end up in your food and not in the air.

As far as the incense in concerned...I have no idea. But I know of a website that would know. But I will have to look around to find the site again. The site I am thinking about is a bird rescue and rehabilitation center. If you look around you might be able to find one and I would trust what they say. I would think that if the incense are not really close to the bird and the room maybe has some sort of ventilation then it would be OK. Also there are people out there that smoke constantly around their birds operantly without health problems with the birds so I do not think that incense would be harmful.

When teflon heats up it gives off a toxic gas that WILL kill your bird and can kill other pets and also humans.

Birds take in oxygen in a more efficient manner due to the way their resp system is set up so it only takes a fraction of a gas to kill a bird than it takes to kill a mammal.

"Teflon toxicosis or “polymer fume fever” in birds. As noted in the National Academies of Sciences report (National Research Council 1991), polymer fume fever in birds has been known since the 1970s. Upon heating, olytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE, a common coating on non-stick cookware, undergoes pyrolysis (heat-induced breakdown) and forms solid particle fumes (Seidel 1991). These fumes coat the inside surface of lungs, causing shortness of breath, shivering, dizziness, and death by asphyxiation in pet birds (Blandford 1975; Wells 1983), as well as severe flu-like symptoms in bird owners (National Research Council 1991; Shusterman 1993)."

here is a couple of links.
http://www.avianweb.com/teflon.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/dupont121605.cfm

They still dont know the full effects of long term use but im not going to take a chance, (there is a reason why miners carried birds into the mine with them, they didnt want to die)

John

Thank you John for the great information and welcome to the forum.